The Fort Dodge City Council on Monday retained a Des Moines firm to design some updates to the 25-year-old library building.

The council hired FEH Design. The company’s fee will be equal to 8.25 percent of the cost of the work.

The Fort Dodge Public Library by the City Square opened in 2001.

The proposed improvements include new carpeting, painting, upgraded doors, a more efficient service desk and an improved layout of the interior.

About $1.1 million is budgeted for the project. Half of that money will come from a general obligation bond issue and half will come from a major gift to the library called the Scharfenburger donation.

In other business, the council approved the first reading of updated rules for contractors using heavy machinery to demolish buildings and move houses.

Assistant City Manager Ryan Maehl said the rules are intended to ensure utilities are properly disconnected and that all excavations are filled in. He added that preventing damage to city infrastructure, especially streets and curbs, is also an objective of the new rules.

The rules must be approved two more times to become law.

Also on Monday, the council:

• Sold 13 reels of unused fiber optic cable to Andec Inc., of Spring, Texas, for $45,000.

• Sold a former Police Department Ford Explorer to Webster County for $6,500 for use by the emergency medical services coordinator.